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Hypersonic missiles are stirring fears in the Iran-Israel conflict. Here’s why
AP News ^ | Updated 11:34 AM CDT, June 18, 2025 | Sam McNeil

Posted on 06/18/2025 4:51:17 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

BARCELONA (AP) — Iran is boasting that it has hypersonic missiles and says it already has begun firing the cutting-edge weapons at Israel.

There is no evidence that Iran has unleashed the missiles, and experts are skeptical of the claim.

But the use of these fast-moving projectiles could test Israel’s vaunted missile-defense system and alter the course of the fighting between the two bitter enemies.

Here’s a closer look at these advanced weapons:

What is a hypersonic missile and what makes them so feared?

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed Wednesday that it had fired what it said were hypersonic “Fattah 1” missiles toward Israel. But whether these missiles are hypersonic is a matter of debate.

Simply put, hypersonic weapons are any missile that travels beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound. Ballistic missiles, fired high up or outside the earth’s atmosphere, routinely reach this speed.

But in modern warfare, experts say hypersonic weapons must also have advanced navigation systems – making them nimble and capable of changing their trajectory. This can challenge traditional defense systems, said Jack Watling, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Iran; Israel; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: asphyxiatedpress; baghdadbob; concerntrolling; dissociatedpress; fakenews; hypersonicmissiles; iran; iranfafo; israel; mullahloversonfr; multiplenicks; papertiger; rop; russiantrollfarm; sammcneil; shakennotstirred; tehrantom; toiletpapertiger; trollfarm; waronterror
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1 posted on 06/18/2025 4:51:17 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If anyone would know about stirring up fear, it would be AP.


2 posted on 06/18/2025 4:52:11 PM PDT by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Here’s why: I already know why. It’s because they are scary. People are scared of scary things. Thanks.


3 posted on 06/18/2025 4:56:12 PM PDT by webheart (Notice how I said all of that without any hyphens, and only complete words. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Why haven’t they used any?


4 posted on 06/18/2025 4:57:32 PM PDT by NoLibZone (Trump failure: Not declaring Antifa a terrorist organization.)
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To: All

If they had them they would have used them already...


5 posted on 06/18/2025 4:59:16 PM PDT by DHerion
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Not magic Sajil missile?


6 posted on 06/18/2025 5:01:40 PM PDT by jjotto ("...saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau...")
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
China just quietly (transponders turned off) made several heavy cargo jet runs to Tehran. Just saying.

China would love nothing more than to turn the region into an American -Israel nightmare.

7 posted on 06/18/2025 5:05:15 PM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) Today's Democrat Party is nothing but very bad performance art. )
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To: jjotto

Clearly some of the video percolating out there shows strikes which are wildly faster than normal missiles....... which have inflicted pretty significant damage.

Now IDF may have neutralized the launchers, but the missiles themselves appear to be beyond our capability to contain.....at present.


8 posted on 06/18/2025 5:07:34 PM PDT by SteelPSUGOP (UGHT)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Gee. Just like the feared Russian hypersonic torpedoes. It is all over for the West.


9 posted on 06/18/2025 5:08:47 PM PDT by rlmorel (To Leftists, Conservative Speech is Violence, while they view their Violence as Speech.)
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To: blackdog

Be a shame if the Chinese jets spontaneously combusted.


10 posted on 06/18/2025 5:09:30 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Iran flies F14’s. They no longer have military leadership. There’s a few holes in the ground that are probably not working. I would call BS on the hypersonic stuff.


11 posted on 06/18/2025 5:12:24 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (TDS much?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

BS propaganda by communism’s biggest BS outlet...


12 posted on 06/18/2025 5:13:07 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is rabble-rising Sam Adams now that we need him? Is his name Trump, now?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The missiles Iran are using are hypersonic only in their ballistic phase. They DO have a slight ability to maneuver during re-entry, but they are not very good at evading anything.

The Russian hypersonic tech is much more dangerous and it is more like a hypersonic cruise missile.

The Iranians calling this stuff hypersonic is like the Nazi’s rebranding the V2. Yes it’s big. And it’s dangerous. And I would not want them falling on my city. But they are clumsy and not very successful against a decent anti-missile system.


13 posted on 06/18/2025 5:14:55 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: Vermont Lt

And the Russian ones are launched from their bombers. So are these Chinese ones.

Iran doesn’t have bombers. An old F4 couldn’t lift them.


14 posted on 06/18/2025 5:16:30 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: SuperLuminal
Likely. But my biggest fear is that this needs to be finished fast or every foe will have enough time to formulate a plan to turn this into a horror for America.

China, Nork, Russia, could begin turning on supplies to Houthis, Hamas, Turkey, Syria.....etc....to make this messy.

15 posted on 06/18/2025 5:18:31 PM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) Today's Democrat Party is nothing but very bad performance art. )
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To: webheart

>> Here’s why: I already know why. It’s because they are scary. People are scared of scary things. Thanks.

^^^^^^ 🤣 THIS ELOQUENTLY NAILS IT! 😂^^^^^^


16 posted on 06/18/2025 5:22:34 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (Hope, as a righteous product of properly aligned Faith, IS in fact a strategy.)
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To: NoLibZone
Agreed. Here's how I see the "news" from Iran.


17 posted on 06/18/2025 5:27:53 PM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum; All

Hypothetical fear mongering.


18 posted on 06/18/2025 5:36:36 PM PDT by Cobra64 (ECommon sense isn’t common anymore.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Israel hold air superiority over Iranian territory. Every launch signs a death sentence to everything at the launch site. Some missiles will get through; enough to learn about them and formulate appropriate defenses, but not enough to forestall the inevitable.


19 posted on 06/18/2025 5:38:54 PM PDT by _longranger81
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Simply put, hypersonic weapons are any missile that travels beyond Mach 5

That's virtually all noncruise missles since the V2. The actual simple definition of a hypersonic weapon is a missle that can MANEUVER beyond Mach 5 and still precisely hit a target.

20 posted on 06/18/2025 5:53:04 PM PDT by Theophilus (covfefe)
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